A VIRAL message has been spreading across Malaysia claiming that WhatsApp is sending SMS notifications to users warning them that their accounts will be automatically blocked within six hours due to terms of service violations.
The message includes a link that recipients are urged to click to log into the "official WhatsApp website" to cancel the restriction and save their accounts from being suspended.
Does WhatsApp really send advance warnings before blocking your account?
Verdict:
FALSE
WhatsApp does not send any links or messages warning users before blocking their accounts, according to an investigation by MyCheck Malaysia.
The suspicious messages claim to be from WhatsApp, informing recipients that their accounts will be blocked within six hours for alleged violations and instructing them to click a link to lift the restriction.
MyCheck investigated by examining the link included in the message and immediately spotted red flags.
The word WhatsApp was misspelled as "whtasapp", and the domain address https://whtasapp-a.com was clearly fraudulent. The genuine WhatsApp website is whatsapp.com.
When MyCheck attempted to access the fake website, the page was no longer accessible and had likely been taken down.
The scam is not limited to Malaysia. A Reddit user named NiceGuys 77 posted on Nov 24, 2025, sharing that they received an identical message in Chinese claiming their account would be suspended in 12 hours.
Commenters confirmed it was a scam, with one revealing that their cousin's WhatsApp account had been hacked after clicking such a link.
So how does WhatsApp actually handle account violations?
According to the official WhatsApp Help Centre, if the company believes an account violates its terms of service through spam, fraud or endangering user safety, it will ban the account immediately without warning.
Users only discover their account has been blocked when they open WhatsApp and see the notification: "This account is not allowed to use WhatsApp".
There are no advance warnings, no SMS messages and definitely no links to click.
If users believe their account has been banned by mistake, they must tap "request a review" within the WhatsApp application itself. The review process happens entirely through the app, and users will receive the decision via a notification within WhatsApp.
WhatsApp explicitly states that no third-party service can unban accounts. Only WhatsApp has the authority to lift bans.
The fake messages circulating are classic phishing attempts designed to steal personal data.
WhatsApp provided guidance on identifying suspicious messages, which typically contain spelling or grammar errors, ask you to click links, request personal information like credit card numbers or passwords, ask for money, impersonate someone you know, or involve lotteries and gambling schemes.
The public is advised not to panic when receiving such messages and to never click on links from unverified sources.
References:
1. https://www.mycheck.my/more.php?id=2505786
3. https://faq.whatsapp.com/2286952358121083/?cms_id=2286952358121083&draft=false
4. https://faq.whatsapp.com/465883178708358/?cms_id=465883178708358&draft=false
